Our Story

Partners: Connie Orbach and Jessie Fleck

Shepherds Ice Cream is run by Connie Orbach and Jessie Fleck. We are a second-generation family business that is proud to claim almost 40 years of making and selling our handmade sheep’s milk ice cream.

Juliet Noble and Martin Orbach founded Shepherds Ice Cream in 1987 using sheep milk produced on their own farm on the Herefordshire/Wales border and selling it at festivals and events across the country. Though we no longer milk our own sheep, this is a format that we have stuck to - small batch ice cream sold directly to our customers, with a healthy dose of festival frivolity mixed in.

Of course, we had to get a bit more serious at some point and in 2000 we got our first bricks and mortar premises when we opened our ice cream parlour in Hay-on-Wye. In 2018 we sold it to Jess Hope-Jone who continues to sell our ice cream today and in 2022 we opened our Ice Cream Shop in Abergavenny.

We try to align Shepherds with the world we want to see - we make the ice cream we’d want to eat (unique, with real ingredients and not too sweet), we trade at the festivals we’d want to attend (independent, high quality, with people at the heart), and we run our business like those we support and admire (personally, with respect for environment, staff and customers). We hope this comes through when you visit us at festivals or in our shop in Abergavenny.

We like to keep it simple

Our key ingredient is fresh, healthy, whole sheep’s milk which we have been using for over 30 years. 

Sheep’s milk is exceptionally high in solids which means, uniquely, that we make our ice-cream using just the full fat milk. The result is proper smooth, creamy dairy ice cream, but with half the fat. This low fat ice cream, made in small batches, and churned slowly is most akin to Italian Gelato - in fact we were making Gelato before we even really knew what it was! 

We make the most of what is produced locally when it’s in season. We use Herefordshire strawberries and blackcurrants, while damsons, gooseberries and apples come from our garden. We also love using fresh spices and herbs to make unusual but delicious flavours like Lebanese Coffee, Cinnamon Chai and Lime and Mint sorbet. 

Our event stands and shop always stock a combination of old favourites and new surprises and our vegan range is always expanding.